The Divine Tears: Crestfallen

VI

The inn at the crossroads was silent, only snores and soft murmurs filled Daarion's ears as he halted before the stables. The road, muddy as ever, the wind—icy, and the swaying trees slowly danced above. He scraped his boots before entering the inn. Three men sat around the hearth, one was silently snoring in his chair, and the other two were slurring their words, attempting to make sense of their previous night of drinking. Another man was resting atop a table, though he had a large cloak on, covering his face.

'Ah,' the innkeeper smiled broadly, 'you've returned. Your business dealt with?'

Daarion nodded.

'By the way,' the innkeeper leaned in. 'That fellow on the table over there has been searching for ye. He said he's yer friend. Friend or not, he truly knows how to have a good night's feast. The man can hold his alcohol I do say.'

Daarion peered over his shoulder. He walked over to the man. The man was clean-shaven under his cloak with a sturdy chin of a young man. Daarion halted, kicked the table's foot, waking the man from his slumber.

'Didn't know I had friends in these parts,' the Valkan said.

The man slowly pushed himself up, pulling away the hood and revealing his long golden locks. 'You do now.'

'Erwan,' Daarion's smile had not been that broad for many months. He pulled his friend in, embracing one another. 'What brings you to these parts?'

Erwan turned, taking a seat at the table. 'After some time, I returned to Enolia in an attempt to find my friends, I found none, apart from Tess of course. And yes, she's doing well.'

Daarion smirked, relieved at his beloved's well-being.

'Then the counsel called upon me,' Erwan continued. 'They tasked me to find you, luckily our old teachers knew where you were. They also gave me a hefty bag of coins.'

'I knew you wouldn't come to look for me out of the love of your heart,' Daarion smirked.

'No right-minded soul would come search for someone in this festering land, everything is wet and cold.' Erwan leaned in, lowering his voice. 'Not to mention the people, bloody filthy I tell you—though they can drink. Showed me a good night last night with their stories and all.'

'It was not all too ill then,' Daarion said. 'Made some coin, and in return you have a good night with some filthy folk.'

'Speaking of coin,' Erwan whispered again, 'you've had a contract, and a manticore at that. Seeing that you're standing here must mean that you've killed it.'

'Hmm,' Daarion sat. 'I'll tell you on the road, too many ears.'

Erwan sat back, not objecting in any manner. 'I'll tell you of my travels as well, on the road of course. Quite some things I've learned.'

The chatter of the two dragons stopped, for they heard the innkeeper approaching, sniffing horribly from his crimson runny nose. 'Anything I can get ye two lads?'

Erwan sat back. 'Aye, as a matter of fact, I do guess we can do with some breakfast. Hungry, Daarion?'

Daarion nodded, noticing his rumbling tummy, and not even remembering the last time he ate a nourishing meal.

'Good,' Erwan cleared his throat as if he was about to deliver a lengthy speech. 'My friend and I will have roasted pork, salted of course, not too much. Two bowls of creamy tomato bisque soup. Another soup—roasted chicken soup with some carrots, onions, peas, and potatoes, make it a bit sweet if you can with a bit of honey, and bring the whole pot if you can. A loaf of sweet bread. Oh, and do you have any hake?'